The ability to create a draw shot
is a big advantage when you are required to ball to
gradually curve to the left, for example if you need
to bend the ball around the corner of a dog leg hole
or if you need to bend the ball around a tree that is
directly in line to the target point.
To make a golf ball bend to the left, it requires
the ball to leave the tee peg with a very fast anti-clockwise
spinning motion.
Therefore to impart any sideways spin on the golf ball
you need to alter the swing path of the golf swing so
that the club head cuts across surface of the ball thus causing the ball to spin in a sideways motion.
Therefore the swing action that is required
to create a draw shot is identical to the swing that
is required to hit the ball straight. --The only difference
is the way that you set up your body at the address
position and the adjustment that you need to make to
realign the club face.
The Set Up.
The set up that the golfer has to adopt in
order to play a draw shot is identical to playing a
straight shot, the only adjustment you have to make
is to alter your stance so that the shoulders and the
feet are aligned to a point that is to the right of
the actual target point - this is called a closed address
position.
(The target point is where you want the ball
to stop.)
Because of the "closed" set up at
the address position, most high handicapped golfers
find it difficult to draw the ball.
This is because the golfer is actually facing slightly
away from the target area, although only by a few degrees,
but this psychologically affects the golfer and can
lead to the head being lifted early so that the golfer
can see where the ball is going.
Therefore to draw the ball, set up your body
with the feet, the hips and the shoulders"Parallel
to the Target Line" as if you are to play a golf shot that
you intend to go straight.(The direction that you initially
aim the ball.)
Look down at the area where your feet are placed
and also look at the position of the ball on the tee
peg,
You will notice that if you draw a line between your
feet and then draw a line from the the ball to each
of the feet, you will see that the three lines form
a triangle.
Using the ball position as the pivotal point
of the triangle and whilst strictly maintaining the
distance between the feet and also the angles between
the feet and the ball, shuffle the feet around the pivotal
point of the ball to your left, until your whole stance
is aligned slightly right of the target point.
( Imagine that you are standing on a revolving
platform large enough to accommodate the ball and you-
so to adjust your stance in order to draw the ball you
would need to rotate the whole platform in an clockwise
motion for a few degrees until your feet were aligned
to the right of the target point.)
Your body position at this point will indicate
that the feet, the hips and the shoulders are now aligned
in the direction that is slightly to the right of the
target area.
If you carried out your normal swing with out
any adjustment to the club face, the ball would fly
in the direction that your whole body is aligned, which
is to the right of the actual target area. The only
thing you need to alter is the alignment of the club
face.
This is the correct set up in order to play
a draw shot.
The Swing
Therefore as I have stated, the actual mechanics
of the golf swing required to create a draw shot is
exactly the same as if you were to hit the ball in a
straight line - you do not have to make any adjustment
to your swing.
The only adjustment that you need to make after
you have adjusted your address position to create an
closed stance, is to close the club face a few degrees
so that club face is facing squarely to a point that
is exactly between the point that your feet, the hips
and the shoulders are aligned, and the actual target
point you want the ball to land.
Once you have set up your body so that the
feet, the hips and the shoulders are aligned to a point
that is to the right of the actual target, this is the
actual line that you must swing the golf club.
This swing path will cause the club face to
be cutting across the ball at the point of impact thus
creating a draw shot.
The whole swing process must be focused on
swinging the club head through the contact area whilst
the whole body is aligned "Parallel to the Target
Line" which is this situation, is to the right
of the actual spot you wish the ball to finish.
The other point to consider when drawing the
ball is that when you select a golf club in order to
play a draw shot you must allow for the fact that the
club face of the club that you would normally choose
to hit a ball a given distance will effectively be slightly
de-lofted -- this means that the de-lofted club face
will cause the ball to fly on a lower trajectory and
therefore the ball will run further upon landing.
Therefore in order to compensate for the extra
distance that the ball will travel you will need to
use a club face that has a higher degree of loft.
So remember, the swing action that you must
use to "draw" the ball, is identical to the
swing that you learnt during in Lessons 4,5.6.
The only difference is that you must set up
your body at the address position in order to alter
the swing path so that the swing path of the club head
cuts across the "Straight to the Target line"
which imparts a sideways spin on the golf ball.
When you practice the swing in order to to
draw the ball remember:-
1) To rotate the "Upper Body" (as
taught in lesson 3)
2) Keep the head slightly behind the ball and
also in the "Fixed Frontal" condition"
3) Watch the ball until the club head makes
contact.
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